Brisbane Trials AI Traffic Lights at 37 Intersections

Sitting in traffic could soon become a lot less frustrating for Brisbane drivers thanks to artificial intelligence learning to manage the flow.

Starting early next year, 37 intersections along Logan Road and Kelvin Grove Road will get an AI upgrade that replaces the same traffic light technology cities have used since the 1950s. Instead of following preset patterns, smart cameras will watch traffic in real time, counting cars, trucks, buses, pedestrians, and cyclists to calculate the perfect light sequence for each moment.

Brisbane City Council transport chair Ryan Murphy says the system sits on existing infrastructure "like a top hat." The AI learns from patterns over time and suggests adjustments to human operators who remain in charge of final decisions.

The technology adapts to changing conditions too. Heavy rain slowing things down? Big football game causing congestion? The system recognizes these situations and adjusts accordingly.

Privacy protections are built in from the start. All faces and license plates get blurred automatically, and every bit of data stays in Brisbane with none sent overseas.

The $15 million trial will run for six months before officials decide whether to expand it across Brisbane's 1,000 intersections. Early results from other cities worldwide suggest the technology could reduce average travel times by 15% and cut rear-end crashes by 12%.

The Ripple Effect

The system does more than just speed up car traffic. Council officials can set different priorities for different areas, optimizing pedestrian flow in the CBD or giving freight trucks priority on industrial corridors during business hours.

Public transport gets a boost too. Buses stuck at red lights waste time and throw off schedules, but AI traffic management can smooth their journey, making reliable transit more achievable.

RACQ public policy executive Michael Kane welcomes the innovation, emphasizing the importance of thinking beyond individual intersections to manage the entire network. As Brisbane's roads improve, the technology's benefits multiply across the city.

Neighboring Moreton City Council is watching closely as it prepares its own single-intersection trial in Petrie later this year. If Brisbane's results prove successful, the approach could spread across Queensland and beyond.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner acknowledges AI can be used for good or harm, pointing to the council's recent ban on AI smart glasses in public pools as proof they take the technology seriously. This traffic project, he says, represents AI at its best: improving safety, reducing congestion, and prioritizing public transport for everyone.